10 Bangkok markets worth a taxi, open anywhere from 5pm to 24 hours

Chatuchak gets the guidebook space, but the market worth planning a whole morning around is the one next door.

1. 1

   Or Tor Kor Market

   Kamphaeng Phet Road, Chatuchak, opposite Chatuchak Weekend Market · fresh market · daily, roughly 6:30am–6pm

   This is where Bangkok's better restaurants send someone to buy produce, and it shows in the durian arranged like jewellery and the som tam stalls with a queue of office workers rather than tourists. Go early for the fruit, stay for the cooked-food hall in the back where a plate rarely tops 100 baht. It is not the cheapest market in the city and nobody pretends otherwise, but the quality justifies the markup.

   Source: Thaiest
2. 2

   Khlong Toei Market

   Khlong Toei district, near Khlong Toei MRT · fresh/wet market, locals only · open most of the day, best 6am–2pm

   No English menus, no photo-friendly styling, just Bangkok's biggest fresh market doing what it has always done: moving fish, pork and produce from the Chao Phraya delta into the city's kitchens before the day gets hot. Prices are what a Thai household pays, not what a stall owner thinks a visitor will tolerate. Wear shoes you don't mind getting wet and go with someone who can read a Thai price tag if you want to actually buy something.

   Source: Wikipedia
3. 3

   Chatuchak Weekend Market

   Kamphaeng Phet Road, Chatuchak, MRT Kamphaeng Phet Exit 2 or Chatuchak Park · weekend market · Fri 6pm–midnight, Sat–Sun 9am–6pm

   Fifteen thousand stalls is not a marketing number, it is roughly the truth, which is why first-timers plan a lunch stop that becomes a five-hour stop. Section by section it swings between genuine vintage denim and identical phone cases, so go with a rough map and a section number in mind rather than a plan to see all of it. Bargaining is expected and the first price quoted is not the real one.

   Source: Culture Trip
4. 4

   Jodd Fairs

   Ratchadaphisek Road, Din Daeng, next to Central Plaza Grand Rama 9, MRT Phra Ram 9 Exit 2 · night market · daily 5pm–1am

   Younger and glossier than the train markets it borrowed its format from, with grilled seafood stalls that run three deep and a line of parked vintage cars that exists purely to be photographed. Come after six once the stalls have actually set up rather than right at opening. It suits a group who wants dinner and a wander more than it suits anyone chasing a bargain.

   Source: Thaiest
5. 5

   Talad Rot Fai Ratchada

   behind Esplanade Ratchadapisek, MRT Thailand Cultural Centre Exit 3 · night market · daily 5pm–1am

   The original train market's reputation took a hit when an earlier site closed, but the current one, hidden behind a shopping mall rather than in it, has settled back into a groove of vintage stalls, tattoo booths and a beer garden that fills up as the night goes on. This one runs on Thai custom more than tour buses, which keeps the food stalls honest on price.

   Source: Phuket101
6. 6

   Pak Khlong Talat

   Chak Phet Road, along the Chao Phraya near Memorial Bridge · flower and wholesale market · open 24 hours daily

   There is no closing time here, only a rhythm: quiet through the afternoon heat, then trucks of orchids and jasmine garlands arriving through the small hours for temples and hotels across the city. Go around 3am or 4am if you want to see it working at full tilt, or in daylight if you just want the colour without the crowd. Prices are wholesale, aimed at florists rather than visitors, which is exactly why they are fair.

   Source: Amazing Thailand
7. 7

   Khlong Lat Mayom

   Bang Ramat Road, Taling Chan, west bank of the Chao Phraya · floating market · Sat–Sun 8am–5pm

   This is the floating market Bangkok residents actually go to, boats and boardwalk stalls selling grilled river prawns and boat noodles at prices set for Thai families on a weekend outing rather than a tour group. It is only a floating market two days a week, so a Tuesday detour here gets you a closed canal and nothing else. Combine it with a river taxi rather than a taxi through Thonburi traffic.

   Source: Hotels.com Go Guides
8. 8

   Amphawa Floating Market

   Samut Songkhram province, about 85km southwest of Bangkok · floating market · Fri–Sun 10am–9:30pm, no entrance fee

   Amphawa runs later in the day than most floating markets and later still after dark, when the canal-side restaurants light up and boats head out for the firefly cruises the area is known for. The market itself has no ticket price, though the boat trips and grilled squid stalls charge what any riverside tourist spot charges. Worth the drive on a Friday evening specifically; the weekday canal is just a quiet, empty stretch of water.

   Source: Feastography
9. 9

   Talad Rot Fai Srinakarin

   Srinakarin Road, Suan Luang, near Seacon Square · night market · Thu–Sun evenings, busiest after 7pm

   Further from the centre than Ratchada or Jodd Fairs, and that distance is the entire point: fewer tour groups, more of the vintage-car dealers and secondhand vinyl stalls that gave the original train markets their name. It only runs four nights a week, so check before crossing the city for it. Go for the browsing and the classic car stalls, not for a quick dinner stop.

   Source: Thai.lt
10. 10

    Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

    Damnoen Saduak, Ratchaburi province, about 100km southwest of Bangkok · floating market · daily, busiest early morning

    The postcard image of Thailand, boats stacked with fruit under conical hats, and also the market most likely to leave you overpaying for a bowl of noodles from a boat. There is no official entrance fee, but the boat rides and river taxis that get you around the canals are priced for the tour-bus crowd, not for the vendors' neighbours. Go for the photograph and the history, not for a bargain, and go at first light before the tour buses arrive.

    Source: Viator